


Summer Wind

by caracol



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Ficlet, Gift Exchange, Happy Ending, M/M, Modern Era, Pre-Overwatch, Reunions, Soldier Enhancement Program Era, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 08:15:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15636783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caracol/pseuds/caracol
Summary: Jack hopes everything is okay, but Gabe knows nothing is.





	Summer Wind

**Author's Note:**

> hey! I wrote this for The Reaplet for the mchanzo sanctuary discord server’s summer gift exchange! she mentioned that she liked R76 and 'angst with a happy ending' and I thought it would be a fun topic to tackle since I haven't read much angst or R76 before! anyway this is my first fic ever, so I’d love any feedback about what you guys think of the story and the writing in general ',:^)

As Jack glanced around the hospital room he realized with a kind of childlike glee that today was the day. He was going back today. After the longest mission in the history of the Soldier Enhancement Program, he was finally going home. The doctor not so subtly suggested that he should stay another couple of days to make sure that his arm really was alright, but Jack had decided to ignore the advice. After all, his arm felt fine. All he could think about was his husband waiting for him. Wait. Jack’s eyes narrowed. Was his husband waiting for him?

He thought it was odd that Gabe hadn’t come to visit. Sure, the drive to D.C. was a bit long from Indiana, but Jack thought for sure Gabe would show up or at least send a postcard. _A postcard?_ He really was turning soft if he was getting caught up in whether or not Gabe felt like sending a postcard. What if… something had happened to Gabe? That would explain his absence—but surely Jack would be notified by some of the higher-ups if that were the case, right? Suddenly, Jack’s stomach went cold. Maybe Gabe had gotten hurt somehow, like in a car accident? Some way that the S.E.P. wasn’t involved in and therefore didn’t feel the need to tell Jack about? But no, they would still have to let Jack know. Gabe was a fellow officer. So why had nobody told him about Gabe’s poor condition? And if Gabe was truly fine, where was he?

“Everything alright in here, Morrison?” Jack startled at the appearance of the nurse who had been looking after him. Luckily, he was able to recover from the shock of her appearance quick enough for her not to call him out on it.

“As long as I still get to go home today, everything’s just fine,” he said with the sweetest smile he could muster up. She gave him a little smirk as she nodded and handed Jack a clipboard of what looked like government paperwork.

“Just fill those out and you can be on your way,” she said, answering Jack’s questioning glance. She started going to the door but paused and looked back at him. After a moment of hesitation, she added, “Say hi to Gabriel for me.”

Jack felt instant relief when he heard the nurse say his husband’s name. If she mentioned Gabe in such a nonchalant way then he must be fine. Jack couldn’t even remember his earlier worries as the nurse left his room. He turned all of his attention to the paperwork that asked about his injury and his time in the Program, hoping to get through it quick so that he could see Gabe soon.  
——————————  
Gabe closed his eyes as he felt the cold water pour down his face. It felt nice, especially considering the summer heat that seemingly permeated through everything, even the thick walls of his house. While grabbing a towel off of the rack, his eyes glanced over Jack’s toothbrush on the counter. He cursed. Shortly after Jack’s mission, Gabe had resigned from his position in the Program. He couldn’t handle staying after he found out about Jack’s status. Gabe had gotten a letter in the mail telling him that Jack was missing in action, lost during his last mission. He knew that it could mean anything, but deep inside Gabe knew Jack had to be dead. If he were really still missing this long after that mission, where could he possibly be? _No_ , Gabe thought, _I can’t keep thinking like that_. He had told himself that it was unhealthy to keep thinking about the possibilities of Jack being alive, so it was much easier to simply assume he was dead. He had already grieved months ago, but—to his frustration—Gabe couldn’t stop his eyes from tearing up as he stared at Jack’s old toothbrush sitting on the counter.

Gabe knew he had to get over his husband, and that he would probably never see him again, but it was just so hard. The love of his life, gone, just like that. They both knew anything could happen during a mission, but it was all so sudden. Gabe groaned. _So it’s gonna be one of those days, huh?_ He was sick of the immense loss he felt every time he looked around his home and saw a piece of furniture that Jack picked out or every time he heard a song Jack loved to listen to. He had to distract himself somehow. Maybe today he’d go on a walk.  
——————————  
Jack couldn’t believe his eyes when his taxi finally pulled up in front of his and Gabe’s house. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t what he saw. The shrubs in front of the windows had lost their shape and looked wild, untamed. The lawn was dried up and patchy. Only the small dogwood tree was thriving in the afternoon shade, its flowers bright pink despite the surrounding desolation. If Jack didn’t know any better, he would have guessed that the house had been abandoned. The thought actually made him start doubting himself again. _Was Gabe in there?_ Jack shook his head, trying to clear the thought away. Of course Gabe was in there. This was their house, and because absolutely nothing horrible had happened to Gabe, this is where he would be. If the voice inside his head was much more confident than he felt, there was nothing he could do about it.

Jack paid the taxi driver and turned back to his house. He almost couldn't believe it. After months of being away he was finally home. Jack walked up to his front door, the soft breeze calming him a little. He hesitated. Deciding that it was more polite to knock rather than unlock the door himself, Jack leaned forward to give the door a gentle tap. Just as his knuckles were about to hit the door, it opened.

Gabe stood there looking down at a newspaper, right in front of Jack for the first time in months. All of Jack’s reservations melted away as he looked at his visibly healthy and uninjured husband. His worrying was in vain after all, Jack realized with relief.

“Hey,” Jack said with a small smile. Gabe completely stilled. He darted his head forward, his eyes widening when he focused on Jack’s face. Jack couldn’t help but chuckle at his reaction. He felt he had to tease Gabe a little, and asked, “Did you miss me?”

Gabe’s features instantly morphed into anger. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he yelled. “You pretend to be dead for months and show up here as if nothing’s happened?” Gabe looked away as his voice started to waver, “As if I haven’t… grieved for you?”

Jack stepped closer and put his hands over Gabe’s upper arms. “Who told you I was dead?” This was all news to Jack for sure, but he wasn’t especially surprised considering how the higher-ups of the S.E.P. were so bad with their soldiers’ family relations.

Gabe leaned into Jack’s touch and relaxed instantly. “I got a letter in the mail. It said you were MIA,” he looked into Jack’s eyes. “I assumed the worst.”

Jack shook his head. “They must’ve mixed up the mail then. It was Jack Morgan who went MIA, not me. I got off with a broken arm,” he gestured to his right arm that was now practically fully healed with a gentle smile.

Gabe let out a sigh of relief and hugged Jack tight. “I missed you so much,” Gabe murmured.

“Me too,” Jack said. He held Gabe and closed his eyes, thinking of how long he had waited for this moment to finally come. He was back home, Gabe was safe, everything was as it should be. He broke away for a moment when he remembered something. “Were you going somewhere when I knocked?”

“Was heading to the park for a walk,” Gabe said. He smiled at Jack and asked, “Wanna join?”

Jack couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do more. As they walked to the park, Jack thought he’d mention something to Gabe about fixing up the landscaping around their house. It didn’t really matter though. All he cared about was that he and Gabe were here, hand in hand, enjoying life together. In the end they were just two sweethearts in the summer wind.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!
> 
> ps: the title and ending line are inspired by the song "Summer Wind" by Johnny Mercer which I thought was a pretty cute song that fit this fic well :~)


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